1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for maintaining continual readout of the components of flowing oil-water systems thereby to record continual quantitative record.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art includes several types of flow monitoring apparatus which have been utilized in the past for determining the content of oil and water in production oil well testing procedures and related pipeline transportation wherein oil-water systems are flowing. The prior methods utilize net oil computers or a related type of net oil analyzer which determines oil and water rates during well testing by utilizing two or three phase separators with subsequent analysis using a capacitance cell. Normally, a capacitance cell is only capable of measuring water content up to about 30%, and still further limitations of use are imposed by the degree of continuity of oil present in the system. Capacitance cell output is inherently non-linear and, when other factors contribute, high water contents of 50% and over are difficult to measure with any accuracy. A most recent improvement in methods for monitoring flow in oil-water systems is the subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 4,080,837 issued Mar. 28, 1978 in the name of Alexander et al. and entitled "Sonic Measurement of Flow Rate and Water Content or Oil-Water Streams". The present subject matter constitutes an improvement on the above-identified teachings through improvement of the method and apparatus to enable self-calibration by directly determining the velocity of sound of the water phase of an oil-water mixture periodically as required to maintain accurate data readout.